# Anyone here make their own jerky? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169 "2020-07-13T03:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/21 "2020-07-14T19:09:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I guess I should research how risky jerky is, because it could be fun to try. Pretty safe I’d wager, as it’s significantly dried, usually salted heavily (generally through soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and/or just straight salt), and often is cooked and/or smoked as part of the drying process. There’s at least one, and usually multiple preservation techniques going on with jerky at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/22 "2020-07-14T22:41:08Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I’ve been making jerky for decades. I have a home-built smoker in my back yard. > > In recent years I’ve used eye of round. It’s lean, tender, and uniform. Both Costco and Smart & Final carry it. I use a slicer to cut the meat to about 3/16 inch thickness, with the grain of course. Most pieces are about 9 or 10 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide. > > I make a marinade of salt, sugar, water, soy sauce, red wine, onion, garlic, black pepper, Tabasco sauce, and juniper berries. I leave the meat in the marinade for maybe 12 hours. > > For smoking fuel I use mostly cherry wood with some star anise added. I set the smoker to 130 F and leave the meat in there for at least 24 hours. I like my jerky to be really dry. I typically start with, say, 28 pounds of unprocessed meat and end up with between 9 and 10 pounds of jerky. > > I give most of the jerky as gifts. I like jerky, but there’s no way I’m going to eat 10 pounds of it by myself. This sounds amazing. I want to try this! I actually have a big bag of star anise I bought at an Indian grocery and haven’t known what to do with. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/23 "2020-07-14T22:52:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve never tried to make jerky. Can you do it in an oven, or do you need a special set-up? I would be worried about nastiness growing on the meat… While I think of it more as a gag than a practical rig, you could always do what Alton Brown did… > **[Good Eats Withering Bites Highlights ](https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/good-eats/videos/withering-bites)** > > Watch Good Eats Withering Bites Highlights  from Food Network Basically use some food grade sheeting a few furnace filters, a box fan and some bungie cords to make a DIY dehydrator. This clip is from doing fruit, but he did the same thing for pencil sized stips of beef jerky in a different episode. Plus this will dry the the food at room temperature, so you don’t have a hotish oven on for hours during the summer! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/24 "2020-07-14T22:54:51Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I haven’t made jerky, but I have made [biltong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong). It’s vinegar-cured first before drying, coriander seed is a large flavour component, and it is never smoked. The best beef cut for it is fillet. I’ve also made ostrich and springbok biltong. > > I’ve got plans for tuna biltong as well, as I’ve bought some before that I really liked.#160; Interesting! I need to try this. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/25 "2020-07-15T00:03:35Z")
Been awhile. But it is the perfect snack - nutritious, portable and addictive. Not tried flank, which would work great. Usually by eye of round or whatever cut is cheapest. Not a fan of very sweet marinades. From a bottle: Jamaican jerk sauce, teriyaki sauce (add five spice), Korean chili sauce and Thai curry paste all work great and easily replicate those flavours. Some of the posted marinades look good. I’ll have to try the South African version sometime. My product is good but not the same texture as store bought - probably sliced too thick. Are stores really willing to slice raw meat? I guess I know a few that might. That is a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/26 "2020-07-15T00:39:07Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > My product is good but not the same texture as store bought - probably sliced too thick. Are stores really willing to slice raw meat? I guess I know a few that might. That is a great idea. Many of the store bought ones are made of formed meat (ground into a paste and formed) or use various meat tenderizers. You can buy meat tenderizers, or use a meat tenderizer tool that breaks up the muscle tissues (whether mallet or perforator), as well as leave the jerky more moist which will be closer to store bought. I’d rather have tougher, drier jerky than the stuff at the store which is . . . not to my taste. As for in store slicing, before COVID, they were only willing when they were dead slow (like 7 pm), but it’ll probably depend on the store and butcher. I’ve been experimenting with doing jerky using the shaved beef they sell at Kroger for Philly style cheese steaks. It’s not the highest quality, and a bit thinner than I like, but it’s 5.99/lb, which is less than hamburger meat these days. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/27 "2020-07-15T01:42:41Z")
I like store bought too. But homemade has more interesting flavours. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/28 "2020-07-15T13:12:44Z")
In the covid age, I’ve been buying all my meat frozen, from a local “meat share” producer. If I have a solidly frozen block-o-meat, what’s the best way to slice it thin? Partially defrost it? Defrost it all the way? Defrost and then partially re-freeze? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169/29 "2020-07-15T23:21:22Z")
Partially defrost. I just made made mine (the inspiration for my O.P.) and that’s precisely what I did. Pulled the frozen solid hunk o’ flank out this morning, made a thick marinade (soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and sriracha) and a couple hours later took a sharp knife to the semi-thawed meat. It’s sitting in its bath right now, and will go into a low oven tomorrow morning. I should be eating jerky by this time, tomorrow night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-make-their-own-jerky/915169.md?page=1)